Superbowl Food and Drink Tips

I’m not a big televised sports fan.  But I love the food and comraderie that come along with watching (or pretending to watch) a championship game.  

Hosting a Superbowl party doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to cook – you could do a pot luck or buy ready-made food.  Even if you are cooking, there are plenty of ways to put together a perfectly wonderful menu that won’t tax your culinary skills or empty your pocketbook.  And if you need help finding a few Superbowl-appropriate recipes, all you have to do is glance at the food section of a newspaper, do an online search or simply check out your favorite food blogs. 

So what is there left to write about when it comes to Superbowl parties?  How about the non-glamorous party advice  - the tips that don’t seem important until someone spills the red wine or asks if you’re sure the cole slaw is OK to eat.  

Roll your eyes if you must, or sigh deeply – but do finish reading this post if you’re hosting the party. 

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The Dilemma – What to Do with Thanksgiving Leftovers?

I love leftovers, sometimes even more than freshly cooked food.  Sure Thanksgiving is nice, but our annual Friday-after-Thanksgiving-leftover-feast and the sandwiches all weekend long were at least as good as the holiday dinner. 

Then came that inevitable moment of reckoning.  Last night I inventoried the remaining pieces of meat, the turkey carcass (even the word sounds like you should immediately get rid of it), and multiple containers of stuffing and cranberry sauce, not to mention the bits of pie.  I bet similar moments of truth have been happening in households all over the U.S. as refrigerators are whipped back into shape for another workweek. 

Like a good drill sargent, I pitched, transformed, or froze much of what was left.  Both the refrigerator and I heaved a sigh of relief as we moved out of Thanksgiving mode.  We do have the memories though, along with a few leftover treats.

The best guide for saving, using, and freezing leftover Thanksgiving fare is your common sense.  If you have a moment’s hesitation when deciding whether to keep leftovers, listen to the little voice in the back of your head saying “throw it out.”  Although none of us likes to waste food, the solution is not to serve food that isn’t safe.  And for those moments when the little voice doesn't guide you, here are a few tips:

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Answering Food Safety Questions

These days we hear a lot about government services that don’t work well.  Whether it’s a tale of government waste or an expose of federal employees who don’t work hard, the bad stories make news.  But there are a government agencies (and employees) doing good work.  Here is one small example in an important area – food safety. 

If you’re like me, you don’t think about asking the federal government for help with food safety in your kitchen.  Sure I know about government inspection of meat and other foods, but when it comes to what happens in my own kitchen, I figured that I’m on my own.  Wrong. 

Late Monday afternoon, I had no plan for dinner, which meant that I had to go to plan B –  the hunt for leftovers.  When I checked the refrigerator for inspiration and ingredients.  I found a nice piece of grilled swordfish from Friday that we hadn’t had the chance to eat over the weekend.  I wondered, “Can we eat this?” 

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